President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he would commute roughly 1,500 sentences of people who served their sentence on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to more than three dozen pardons.
Biden said the commutations, which was the most ever offered in a single day, to the sentences went to people who had spent at least a year serving their sentence at home under the CARES Act during the pandemic, arguing that they “have shown that they deserve a second chance.”
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“As President, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses,” Biden said in a statement.
He also issued 39 pardons to people who were convicted of nonviolent crimes, saying that these individuals “have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer.”
“I will take more steps in the weeks ahead. My Administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances,” Biden said.
The president’s most high-profile pardon during his term was for his son Hunter Biden after he was convicted on gun charges and pleaded guilty to tax charges.
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Joe Biden is expected to issue more pardons before he leaves the White House next month, as outgoing presidents typically do. His vow to “take steps in the weeks ahead” alludes to further action before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn back into law.
The White House has reportedly considered preemptive pardons for perceived enemies of Trump before he retakes the Oval Office.
